


something bad is happening (reprise)

by poescurls



Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn
Genre: F/F, F/M, HIV/AIDS, M/M, light fluff, marvin's death, mention of all falsettos characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 04:04:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11615490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poescurls/pseuds/poescurls
Summary: Marvin thought he had been prepared for this. He'd been expecting death at his door for a long time, but he was still surprised by the sound of the doorbell.





	something bad is happening (reprise)

Marvin isn't surprised when it hits him. As he falls to the ground, only one person, one thought, comes to mind: Whizzer. How did he do this? How will he be able to do this without him? With the remaining strength he has, he crawls to the door and yells Charlotte's name. As she and Cordelia burst into his apartment, they share a look. They never told anyone, but they knew it was coming. He slumps to the ground, his vision slowly fading, as Cordelia's fractured sobs and Charlotte's voice turn into deafening silence.

 

When Marvin reopens his eyes, he's met with the harsh fluorescence of hospital lights and the cold and empty feeling that accompanied the atmosphere. He shifts, only to make eye contact with a stiff Charlotte. Over the years, her work had started to drain her. Her once warm chocolate eyes had slowly begun to dim, and now, they looked lifeless. This was taking its toll on her, and Marvin couldn't do anything except let the disease take its course. Everything he needed to know could be read in the look he shared with Charlotte. He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. Despite being surrounded by his tight knit family, he had never felt so crippingly alone.

 

As time continues to pass, it eats at Marvin more and more. He feels less like himself with each passing day. Jason tries to cheer him up with chess, but it only manages to weigh the both of them down even more. Nothing had been the same since Whizzer left them, and chess was a bitter reminder of that.

 

Trina was never much of a person that hovered, though these days it seems that hovering is all she does. She takes care of Marvin's every need. She knits him a blanket for the chills that rack his body every now and again. She feeds him and helps him dodge Cordelia's flawed attempts at making bar mitzvah food, a pursuit Cordelia wasn't ready to give up on even after Jason's bar mitzvah. For a while, their relationship goes back to how it used to be. Before Mendel, before Whizzer, even before Jason.

 

Marvin's relationship with Mendel changed too. They both came to mutually forgive each other of everything that had happened in the past. In the rare moments when Trina wasn't around, Mendel would sit with Marvin and take care of him. They'd find themselves talking for hours on end about anything and everything, until Charlotte would have to coax Mendel out of the room in order to run some exams or check Marvin's vitals. Though Marvin was still a little too proud to admit it, he appreciated Mendel's company. From the moment that Whizzer collapsed on the racquetball court to now, as Marvin sat wasting away on a hospital bed, Mendel had offered unconditional support. Marvin chuckled. Mendel may not have been the best psychiatrist, but Marvin never anticipated him becoming his closest friend.

 

'Delia was always coming in and out. She'd spend the morning cooking for her catering service or trying some new recipes in case a bar mitzvah ever came up. She'd come to the hospital a little after noon. Whoever was with Marvin at the time would take care of whatever samples she brought up for him to try. She didn't spend as much time with Marvin as she would have liked, but they came to the mutual agreement that Charlotte needed her more than he did. Marvin and Cordelia had known this would take a great toll on Charlotte, and they wanted to make sure she was doing okay. After Cordelia did her usual rounds with Marvin, she would go and find Charlotte. She would catch up with her doctor while discreetly making sure that she was alright, and would bring her samples just to make sure she was still eating. Charlotte, however, wasn't letting anything get in the way of her research and her work. She had lost Whizzer, and she sure as hell wasn't going to lose Marvin. This was her game and she didn't plan on losing again. She worked around the clock, checking up on patients, checking data and looking for patterns, and paying avid attention to the latest updates. The only thing that gave her relief at night as she stared at the unblinking New York City skyline was the hope that there would be a cure in the morning. But there never was.

 

It remains unspoken, but as the days start to run out, they all start to make their goodbyes. Marvin can feel the clock ticking, can feel the moments slipping away like grains of sand. He thought he had been prepared for this. He'd been expecting death at his door for a long time, but he was still surprised by the sound of the doorbell.

 

Charlotte remained obstinate. Every report was laced with an optimistic attitude both she and Marvin knew to be a lie. She became relentless, overworking herself in the hopes that some miracle would occur that would save Marvin. Cordelia stopped catering and stayed at the hospital longer and longer as Charlotte continued to unravel. One night, Cordelia walked into Charlotte's office to find her doctor sobbing at her desk. "Oh, honey." She murmured before rushing to Charlotte's side, softly brushing away the tears with her thumb. She cradled Charlotte, and ran her fingers through Charlotte's soft curls as she continued to cry. "I can't do this. Too many of them have slipped through my fingers. I lost Whizzer.. I don't.. I can't lose him too.. I can't fail again." Charlotte managed to croak out a few minutes later. "You won't." Cordelia replied firmly, determined to hide the fear she felt in her heart. Cordelia cupped Charlotte's face and added, "No matter what happens, I'll always be by your side. I love you." Charlotte smiled, her first genuine smile in days, and placed her hand on top of Cordelia's. "I love you too."

 

That same night, a few halls away, Trina was getting ready to head home for the night. It had gotten late, and Marvin was beginning to doze off. As she collected her things, Marvin stirred and she felt him loosely grip her wrist. "Please stay." He whimpered, and as Trina turned to look at him, she could see the genuine fear in his eyes. Marvin had tried to put up a front of strength in front of his family, but now, in front of Trina, he finally let his guard come down. "I'm so scared." He whispered, as tears began to streak down his face. Trina sat back down immediately, taking Marvin's hand in hers. "I'm right here." She replied, tears brimming in her eyes. "I'm so sorry.. for everything. You never deserved what I put you through." Marvin sputtered, uttering apology after apology until Trina put her hand up and quietly said, "Stop." Marvin came to an abrupt stop and looked at her, surprised. "It's all in the past, Marvin. Everything is forgiven. Let's just focus on now, okay?" Marvin gives her a grateful look. Smiling despite all the pain that was threatening to tear her apart, Trina moves to lay beside Marvin on the hospital bed. She holds him as she tries to ignore the fact that his hospital gown is even baggier on him now, and his rib cage more prominent through the thin fabric.

 

They stayed like that for a while, until Marvin broke the silence. "Trina, I need to ask something of you." Marvin said quietly, trying to keep the shakiness and uncertainty out of his voice. Pausing in order to muster some illusion of strength, Marvin continued, "Please take care of Jason. Take care of our son. I never meant for this to happen, I never meant to leave him. I love him more than anything, Trina. God, please take care of him." Trina looked on as Marvin shuddered, angling himself away from her as he tried to quickly wipe away the tears that had managed to escape him. "He's already lost one father.. I don't want him to lose another." Marvin murmurs. "I know, Marvin, I know. I promise to take care of him." Trina manages to reply, as she brings his emaciated frame closer to her. She presses a kiss to his clammy forehead. "I love you." She whispers. She can feel Marvin relax into her arms as he says, "I love you too."

 

Marvin woke up, blinking away the rays of sunlight that had managed to slip into the room. He shifted a bit, only to find Trina sound asleep next to him. He couldn't help smiling. After all this time, after everything they'd been through, Trina still remained his close and loyal friend. Marvin turns his attention to the door as it swings open, revealing the rest of his tight knit family. Charlotte came in to check his vitals, while Mendel, Jason, and Cordelia came to say good morning and offer Marvin and Trina some coffee and donuts from the cafeteria downstairs. He smiles and laughs with them, though he can't help noticing that something inside of him feels different today. Eventually, Charlotte leaves to check on the rest of her patients and scour for updates. Cordelia follows suit, wanting to make sure her doctor was still doing okay, especially after last night's breakdown. Trina excuses herself to freshen up, and after chatting a bit Mendel leaves to check up on her too. Jason stayed behind, reluctant to leave his father's side.

 

Even though Jason had grown and matured since Whizzer had left them, Marvin can still see the same traces of fear in him now. The slight glistening of his eyes, the goosebumps on his arms, the quiver of his lower lip. If there was anything or anyone that could possibly make him regret the choices he had made throughout his life, it was Jason. Jason was Marvin's entire world, his hopes and dreams. He'd put the kid through so much hell, and now he was breaking the promise he made so many years ago to be his father. However, if there was one person that could make the overwhelming guilt slip away, it was Whizzer. Marvin could never bring himself to regret those days, or to curse Whizzer for what had happened to him. Deep down, Marvin knew that Whizzer was—is—the love of his life. If this is what had to happen to make their love possible, Marvin wouldn't have had it any other way.

 

Suddenly, the door swings open and everything seems to fade away. In the same way it happened when he was alive, Whizzer fills the room and radiates happiness and love. Marvin had always been in awe of the way Whizzer could capture his attention at an instant, but now, it was a comfort to him. He strolls in with that same swagger, that same little smirk on his face, though the look in his eyes is soft and compassionate. Marvin can't help but marvel at how beautiful he looks, and his heart pangs as he realizes how much he's missed his lover. As Whizzer comes closer to the bed, Marvin forgets how to breathe, and stutters out, "Whizzer!" The man in question smiles, and runs a hand through Marvin's hair as he replies affectionately, "Hey Marv."

 

Jason glances behind him as the door swings open to reveal a nurse coming to check up on Marvin. But, when Jason turns back to look at his father, he notices the look on Marvin's face is quite different. What was once sadness and heartbreak was now a joy Jason hadn't seen in his father since... _oh_. Jason's anguish overcomes him as his father cups his face, staring blankly in his direction. Marvin manages to breathe out, "Whizzer!" After that, it all unravels instantaneously. Marvin's arm slackens, and his heart rate starts to flatline. The nurse calls for a doctor, and Charlotte bursts in with ferocity. Jason swears that for just a minute, he can still see that fiery spark in her eyes. He's rushed out of the room, and a broken Trina holds him in the hallway. Jason can hear Charlotte yelling, even begging, Marvin to fight and to stay, but he knows from the start that it's a lost cause. Eventually, Charlotte steps out of the room. She treads towards them, every movement frail and delicate. When she looks up at them, her eyes are devoid of any emotion. "He's gone," is the only thing she manages to whisper before crumpling into Cordelia's waiting arms. Jason is wrapped into an embrace by Trina and Mendel, but it does nothing to comfort him. This disease, whatever it was, had done enough to Jason and his family. It was time to do something about it. He steps out of the hug, and turns to Charlotte. Ignoring the tears that were starting to run down his face, he says, "Charlotte, I'm going to be a doctor just like you. I'm going to make sure this disease will never hurt anyone else like it's hurt us." Charlotte looks down at Jason, a hint of hope edging its way past all of the brokenness in her eyes, as she says, "Good. We have a lot of work to do."

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! this is my first falsettos fic. if you want to see more falsettos content from me, follow my twitter @whizzrbrown !


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